# USIDent A government agency in [[Southland Tales]]. > The oppressive institution known as USIDent. The government had decided that it could not properly conduct a way on terror unless cyberspace was placed under federal regulation. ... USIDent was the brainchild of the Republican Party. All information sanitized. A merger of all law enforcement under federal control. A colossal think tank formed under the protection of the PATRIOT Act. \- [[Pilot]]'s narration introducing USIDent # Organization USIDent is an agency of the US Government formed in the wake of nuclear terrorist attacks in Texas extending the powers of the [[PATRIOT Act]] which surveils American citizens, from the internet to live feeds of cameras in bathrooms. Sometimes written `US-Ident`, `US Ident`, and other variations. > that Orwellian nightmare \- [[Cyndi]] ranting about [[USIDent]] to [[Vaughn]] - Supported by [[Bobby]] and headed up by his wife [[Nana Mae]] - [[Proposition 69]] is a bill that intends to restrict the powers of USIDent # Location A [[Southland Tales - Locations|Location in Southland Tales]]. The only USIDent location shown in any Southland Tales media is the one in Los Angeles. In the news feed it says they are located in the "CAL-TRANS" building. ## The Panopticon Known officially during production and in the [[Southland Tales 2005 Draft|2005 Draft]] as "The Motherboard". I refer to it as "The Panopticon" because "Motherboard" trips me up, and it is also the title an Orgy song, which I think Kelly could appreciate. This is the room [[Nana Mae]] spends most of the film in, with monitors covering all of the walls. The screens are often used in transitions and to provide exposition from the news stations, even without [[Nana Mae]] or anyone else being visible in the room. ## Starla's Desk [[Starla]]'s desk is distinctive for its shrine to [[Boxer]]. ![[16_img4430.jpg]] # Events - We see [[Nana Mae]], as the apparent head of USIDent giving orders directly to an [[UPU3]] SWAT team during the raid on the [[Neo-Marxist Compound]]. # Background USIDent is intertwined with the [[UPU]]'s federally controlled unification of militarized police. The USIDent we see is the surveillance apparatus as well as command and control for the upper tiers of the [[UPU]] structure. # Issues In both of the filmed versions, [[Pilot]]'s narration states that [[Nana Mae]] is the "Deputy Director of the NSA", but doesn't mention USIDent, where she is located. The NSA is not specifically alluded to in the USIDent org chart or mentioned in other versions. One could presume that the NSA is now known as [[UPU5]], as [[Bobby]] calls [[Nana Mae]] (and *is* represented on the org chart), but the narration muddies this. This is notable only because it doesn't really seem like using archetypes this way is common to the rest of the film, and so few things are named or titled or made explicit at all. So why this one? # 2005 Draft > US-IDENT, a merger of all government law enforcement divisions into one synergistic institution. \- Narration Usually spelled `US-IDENT` in the [[Southland Tales 2005 Draft]]. What I called "The Panopticon" with all of the surveillance monitors is referred to as "The Motherboard" in the script and production notes, which I suppose pairs well with the name "[[Nana Mae|Nana]]". In this version it is a single large screen, more akin to the one on ships in Star Trek, rather than lots of little monitors. # Undated Draft US-Ident is a subcontractor of the Department of Homeland Security, rather than the overarching federal organization that subsumes all law enforcement. # Filming Location The external and establishing shots still clearly show the "California Department of Transportation" lettering next to the USIdent logo. The building is the distinctive LADOT Headquarters AKA the CAL-TRANS building in downtown LA. ``` 100 Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 ``` # References - [[Priscilla Elliott]] for the [[Boxer]] diorama on [[Starla]]'s desk